Laundry-machinery lock



Dec. 31, 1929. E. SCHNELL E! AL. 1,741,661

LAUNDRY MACHINERY LOCK Filed March 51. 1927 s mr/azvrom Err/z. 02/74 1521.. P fi/L/PJEfl/VELL.

Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE EMIL SGHNELL AND PHILIP SCHNELL, OF GLENDALE, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK LA'UNI)liEtY-lVH'xCHINI'I'RY LOCK Application filed March 31, 1927. Serial No. 179,999.

This invention relates to looks and safety devices particularly adapted for use in con nection with laundr'y machinery.

In laundries employing a great number of workers and machines adapted for the washing and drying of clothes comprising high speed rotating parts into which the clothes are placed for washing and drying, it has been a problem to prevent the operators of the various machines from trying to remove the clothes from the machines when the same are in operation and to also prevent the starting of the machine before the covers thereof are securely locked.

A particular object of our invention, therefore, is to provide a lock for the cover of extractors, washing machines and the like which will only operate when the revolving interior part of the machine comes to a stop.

We are aware that many devices have been used which contemplate the locking of the cover until the belt has been shifted to throw the power off the machine, but in an agitator, for instance, where an inner basket is rotating at high speed, the inertia thereof maintains rotation for considerable time after the belt has been shifted to the idle pulley on the drive shaft with the result that the cover can open after the belt has been so shifted and in many instances serious injury has resulted when an operator endeavored to remove the clothes or to extract the basket before the same has stopped. This is also true of the drum-type washers having revolving compartments which hold individual bundles of clothes to be washed and a further particular object of our invention is to provide a device which is equally adaptable for the drum-type washing machine or in fact to any other machine employing slidable covers and operated directly from the power shaft.

A further particular object of our invention is to provide a fluid control lock which is operated directly by the driving shaft so that the cover is prevented from being raised until the driving shaft comes to rest.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features of our invention that they may embody the same in the various modifications in structure and described, is rotatably mounted within the relation contemplated, a drawing depicting a preferred form has been annexed as a part of this disclosure and in such drawings, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an extractor having a hinged cover'and showing in combination therewith our improved fluid operated lock which prevents the cover from being raised while the interior basket of the extractor is in motion.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the extractor as seen in Figure 1 showing the lock in its locking position to prevent the raising of the cover while the machine is in motion.

Figure 3 is a view in longitudinal section through the locking device showing the construction thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 5 indicates an extractor of the well-known commercial type in which is rotatably mounted the clothes holding basket 6, mounted on the shaft 7 which is driven through the medium of the pulley 8 and its engaging belt 9, the belt passing over a suitable idler 10 and around a drive pulley 11, the drive pulley 11, in turn being mounted upon the driving shaft 12 which carries the idle pulley 13 and the driving pulley 14-, the latter ofv which, as is usually the case, is keyed to the shaft 12 and rotated the same so that a direct drive is accomplished from the source of power through the shaft 12, through the belt 9 to the basket rotating shaft 7 which, as before extractor housing 5. This housing has pivoted thereto by the hinge 15, the cover 16 which allows the clothes held in the basket 6 to be removed from the extractor and replaced by other clothes which have come out of the rinse water and through the centrifugal action imparted thereto by the revolving of the basket 6, are to be dried. This cover 16 is provided at its front with a handle 17 and is usually made of heavy wire or steel plate.

One of the objects of our invention is to. prevent the opening of this cover while the basket 6 is in motion, as in machines now in use, the cover is unlocked by the throw of 106 a casing 21 which fits very closely about the periphery of the gears 19, the narrowest point in the casing being at the meshing point of the gears and at this point, we tap the. casing on one side to provide an oil inlet 22 which con- 'nectsthe casingwith'aaoil'reservoir 23, the latter of which may be replenished, as desired, and-which will'feed theoil to the pump casing as it is 'compressediin the conveying pipe line 24 which forms'an exit from the opposite side of the casing21 from the inlet '22, the'pipeline 24 beiang made up of solid pipe or flCKlblG tubing and being connected atats opposite end to the diaphragm cham- 'ber 25 of our-improved lock. This diaphragm chamber is provided by bolting to the lock housing as at 26, convex: cover 2'? through the center of whichenters the pipe 24:. This cover 27 imprisons between itselfand the front wall 28 of. the lock housing j29,-a' thin diaphragm 30, this diaphragm being arranged when distended by oil pressure in the line 24 to cause inward movement of a pin 31 which, at its innerside, is pivoted as at 32- to the free arm 33,which extends longitudinally of the casing and at its end adjacent the-pivot point 32 rests on a suitable protuberanta portion 34 formed in the inner wall of the housing 29 so that the arm 33 is given a point contact which acts the fulcrum for the lever '33.

The opposite end of the lever 33 engages the; locking bolt 35 which is housed in an extended portion 36 of the lock housizng 29 and is provided with an enlarged head 37 which abuts against-the free end ofthelever 33, as hereinbefore described. In order to give normal retractile movement to the lock bolt 35, the same-is encou'ipassed byaspring 33 held in the extended portion 36'and arranged to exert its expandin ene y against the head 37. The housing 29 is secured to the top of the extractor through the medium of suitable causing injury to the operator of the machine when he tried to take clothes out of the fast revolving basket 6. Our oil pump which is driven directly by the drive shaft 12 main tains a constant pressure of oil in the line 24 and against the diaphragm to cause the extension of the bolt so that it overlies, as shown in Figure 2, the edge of the cover 16 and prevents its being opened while the drive shaft 12 is in motion. This being evident by reason of the fact that the slightest movement of the drive shaft 12 maintains the pres- SUIGSHfilClQIllJlY in theoilline'24rtocause distention of the diaphragm to maintain the bolt in its outward position. However, when the lrive shaft 12 comes to rest after the driving belt has been shifted, pressure is taken off the oil in the line24t thus allowingthet-spring 38 to force the bolt inwardly from over the'edge of the cover thereby; allowing the'same-to be opened and the clothes to be removedfrom the basketG. It is evident that .thisarrangement therefore, prevents opening ofthe cover while the drive shaft 12 is in motion andthe same will be kept in motion until-the. basket 6 stops rotating because the shaft 12 is directly connected to the basket rotating shaft 7 through the medium. of the belt 9.

It is evident, therefore, that due to the le verage of the lever 33, the short fulcrum thereof, will take cognizance of. any movement of the diaphragm30 and just as soon as theshaft 12 begins to rotate, the oilpressure will cause distention of the diaphragm 30-and cause the lock 35 to be-extended to prevent opening of the cover 16.

It is evident, there-fore, that we .have;pro-- vided an improved laundry machine cover lock which, it will be particularly .noted,;is controlled by reason of adirect connection from the driving means to the machine part that is adapted to revolve and therefore, will not permit access to the interior off the machine until such revolving part comes to rest. It is also evident that we have; provided a fluid control-led locking means which is adapted to several different types of washing machines and is made of few parts, will not get out of order and will effectively: operate to prevent the raising or sliding of covers on extractors, washing machines,iand the like.

lVhile we have illustrated and describedour invention with some degree ofparticularity, we realize that in-practice various alterations therein may be made. 'lVe therefore reserve the right and privilege of 'chang ing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claiin-as new and 'desire'to -secure'by United States LettersPa-tent is 1. The combination with ala-undry machine having a-cover 0n the housing thereof and a moving wash holding receptacleii-ir the housing and the wash holding receptacle being driven positively from the drive shaft, of a pump on the drive shaft, a lock casing on the housing connected to the pump, a diaphragm in the casing against which the fluid pressure is transmitted from the pump, a lever movable by said diaphragm and a bolt operable by said lever to overlie the cover when the pressure acts on said diaphragm whereby opening of the cover is prevented until the receptacle comes to rest.

2. The combination with a laundry machine having a cover on the housing thereof and a moving wash holding receptacle in the housing and the wash holding receptacle being driven positively from the drive shaft, of a pump on the drive shaft, a bolt casing on the housing connected to the pump, a movable member in the casing against which the fluid pressure is transmitted from the pump, and a bolt arranged to be projected beyond said bolt casing by said movable member to overlie the cover when the pressure acts on the movable member whereby opening of the cover is prevented until the receptacle comes to rest.

3. The combination with a laundry machine having a cover on the housing thereof and a moving wash holding receptacle in the housing and the wash holding receptacle being driven positively from the drive shaft, of a pump on the drive shaft, the lock casing 011 the housing connected to the pump, a diaphragm in the casing against which the fluid pressure is transmitted from the pump, a

lever movable by said diaphragm and a bolt operable by said lever to overlie the cover when the pressure acts on said diaphragm, and a spring in the housing arranged to act upon said bolt to remove it from over the cover when the pressure on the diaphragm is removed.

4. The combination with a laundry machine having a cover on the housing thereof and a moving wash holding receptacle in the housing and the wash holding receptacle being driven positively from the drive shaft, of a pump on the drive shaft, a bolt casing on the housing connected to the pump, a movable member in the casing against which the fluid pressure is transmitted from the pump, a bolt arranged to be projected beyond the casing by the movable member when pressure is applied to the latter, and means associated with the bolt for retracting the same when pressure is removed from said movable member.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

PHILIP SGHNELL. [1,. s.] EMIL SOHNELL. [1 s.] 

